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AP Environmental Science > The Living World: Ecosystems and Biodiversity > Flashcards

The Living World: Ecosystems and Biodiversity Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

a system of interconnected elements: a community of living organisms and its environment

A

ecosystem

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2
Q

living components of an ecosystem

A

biotic

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3
Q

nonliving components in an ecosystem

A

abiotic

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4
Q

the change in a population’s genetic composition over time

A

evolution

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5
Q

made to model evolution; can encompass many types of species, or can be very specific

A

phylogenetic tree

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6
Q

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

A

speciation

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7
Q

a group of organisms that are capable of breeding with one another—and incapable of breeding with other species

A

species

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8
Q

individual organisms that are better adapted for their environment will live and reproduce

A

evolutionary fitness

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9
Q

a habitat selects certain organisms to live and reproduce and others to die; beneficial characteristics are inherited and unfavorable characteristics become less common

A

natural selection

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10
Q

any cause that reduces reproductive success (fitness) in a portion of the population

A

selective pressure

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11
Q

the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population

A

gene pool

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12
Q

the accumulation of changes in the frequency of alleles (versions of a gene) over time due to sampling errors—changes that occur as a result of random chance

A

genetic drift

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13
Q

small-scale changes over a relatively short period of time in a population

A

microevolution

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14
Q

large-scale patterns of evolution within biological organisms over a long period of time

A

macroevolution

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15
Q

a species cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental change and all members of the species die

A

extinction

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16
Q

true extinction of a species

A

biological extinction

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17
Q

so few individuals of a species that the species can no longer perform its ecological function

A

ecological extinction

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18
Q

few individuals exist but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense

A

commercial/economic extinction

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19
Q

a group of organisms of the same species

A

population

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20
Q

populations of different species occupy the same geographic area

A

community

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21
Q

the total sum of a species’ use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

A

niche

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22
Q

the area of environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs

A

habitat

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23
Q

has a narrow niche and can only live in a certain habitat

A

specialist

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24
Q

has a broad niche, is highly adaptable, and can live in varied habitats

A

generalist

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25
Q

two individuals—of the same species or of different species—are competing for resources in the environment

A

competition

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26
Q

two individuals competing are from the same species

A

intraspecific competition

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27
Q

two individuals competing are different species

A

interspecific competition

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28
Q

when two different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins

A

competitive exclusion

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29
Q

no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche

A

Gause’s principle

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30
Q

a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition

A

realized niche

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31
Q

the niche species would have if there was no competition

A

fundamental niche

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32
Q

different species use slightly different parts of the habitat, but rely on the same resource

A

resource partitioning

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33
Q

one species feeds on another, and it drives changes in population size

A

predation

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34
Q

species that feeds on other organisms

A

predator

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35
Q

gets eaten

A

prey

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36
Q

close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different t species that may, but do no necessarily, benefit each member

A

symbiotic relationships

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37
Q

both species benefit

A

mutualism

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38
Q

one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor hurt

A

commensalism

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39
Q

one species is harmed and the other benefits

A

parasitism

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40
Q

ecosystems that are based on land

A

biomes

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41
Q

ecosystems that are based in water

A

aquatic life zones

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42
Q

transitional area where two ecosystems meet

A

ecotones

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43
Q

smaller regions within ecosystems that share similar physical features

A

ecozones/ecoregions

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44
Q

hardwood trees, 75-250 cm rainfall, rich soil with high organic content (NA, E, AUS, and E ASIA)

A

deciduous forest

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45
Q

tall trees with few lower limbs, vines, epiphytes, plants adapted to low light intensity, 200-400 cm rainfall, poor quality soil (SA, W AFR, and SE ASIA)

A

tropical rainforest

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46
Q

sod-forming grasses, 10-60 cm rainfall, rich soil (NA plains, prairie, and savanna, RUS steppes, SA velds, ARG pampas)

A

grasslands

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47
Q

coniferous trees, 20-60 cm rainfall, soil is acidic due to vegetation (N NA, N EARASIA)

A

coniferous forest/taiga

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48
Q

herbaceous plants, less than 25 cm rainfall, soil is permafrost (northern latitudes of NA, EUR, RUS)

A

tundra

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49
Q

small trees with large, hard evergreen leaves, spiny shrubs, 50-75 cm rainfall, soil is shallow and infertile (W NA, the Mediterranean region)

A

chaparral

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50
Q

cactus, other low-adapted plants, less than 25 cm rainfall, soil has a coarse texture (30 degrees north and south of the equator)

A

deserts

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51
Q

coniferous and broadleaf trees, epiphytes, mosses, ferns, and shrubs, over 140 cm rainfall, soil richer than that in tropical rainforests (NA, SA, SAFR, EUR, RUS, NE ASIA, AUS, NZ)

A

temperate rainforest

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52
Q

grasses with more widely spaced trees, 10-30 cm rainfall, soil is porous and has only a thin layer of humus (AUS, SAFR, IND, half of AFR

A

savanna

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53
Q

the uppermost and most oxygenated layer in freshwater

A

epilimnion

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54
Q

lower, colder, and denser layer in freshwater

A

hypolimnion

55
Q

demarcation line between two layers where the temperature shifts dramatically

A

thermocline

56
Q

begins with the very shallow water at the shoreline. plants and animals that reside here receives abundant sunlight. the end of this zone is defined as the depth at which rooted plants stop growing.

A

littoral zone

57
Q

surface of open water; the region that extends to the depth that sunlight can penetrate. organisms that are residents in this zone tend to be short lived and rely on sunlight (i.e. phytoplankton)

A

limnetic zone

58
Q

the layer where water is too deep for sunlight to penetrate. organisms adapted to little light, colder temperatures, and less oxygen reside here.

A

profundal zone

59
Q

the surface and sub-surface layers of the river, lake, pond, or stream bed, characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels and inhabited by organisms that live on, or below the sediment surface.

A

benthic zone

60
Q

a site where the “arm” of the sea extends inland to meet the mouth of a river

A

estuary

61
Q

areas along the shores of fresh bodies of water; ephemeral water bodies. includes marshes, swamps, bogs, prairie potholes, and floodplains

A

wetlands

62
Q

coastal wetlands found in tropical and sub-tropical regions; characterized by trees, shrubs, and other plants that can grow in brackish tidal waters and are often located in estuaries; has a diverse animal population

A

mangrove swamps

63
Q

created by the buildup of deposited sediments, their boundaries are constantly shifting as water moves around them; generally the first hit by offshore storms, important buffers for the shoreline

A

barrier islands

64
Q

formed from a community of living things; cnidarians secret a hard, calciferous shell, extremely delicate and vulnerable to physical stresses

A

coral reef

65
Q

ocean water closest to land; between the shore and continental shelf

A

coastal zone

66
Q

the photic, upper layers of water; warmest region if ocean water, also has the highest levels if dissolved oxygen

A

euphotic zone

67
Q

the middle region; colder and darker and does not receive enough light to support photosynthesis

A

bathyal zone

68
Q

the deepest region of the ocean; extremely cold temperatures and low levels of dissolved oxygen

A

abyssal zone

69
Q

a seasonal movement of water from the cold and nutrient-rich bottom to the surface

A

upwellings

70
Q

caused by proliferation of dinoflagellates

A

red tide

71
Q

nutrients move through the environment in complex cycles

A

biogeochemical cycles

72
Q

a place where a large quantity of a nutrient sits for a long period of time

A

reservoir

73
Q

a site where a nutrient sits for only a short period of time

A

exchange pool

74
Q

the amount of time a nutrient spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool

A

residency time

75
Q

matter can neither be created nor destroyed

A

Law of Conservation of Matter

76
Q

when water becomes dense enough to fall to Earth because of the pull of gravity

A

precipitation

77
Q

water held underground in the soul or in pores or crevices in rock

A

groundwater

78
Q

the draining away of water from

the surface of an area of land

A

runoff

79
Q

water is returned to the atmosphere; can look like water vapor

A

evaporation

80
Q

in plants; releases large amounts of water into the air

A

transpiration

81
Q

animals and plants breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide

A

respiration

82
Q

plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates

A

photosynthesis

83
Q

the bodies of once-living organisms are buried deep and subjected to conditions of extreme heat and extreme pressure

A

oil, coal, and gas

84
Q

the result of actions of certain soil bacteria; in the form of ammonia (NH3) or nitrates (NO3-)

A

nitrogen fixation

85
Q

soil bacteria converts ammonia or ammonium into nitrites which is further converted to nitrate

A

nitrification

86
Q

plants absorb ammonium, ammonia ions, and nitrate ions through the roots

A

assimilation

87
Q

decomposing bacteria convert dead organisms and other waste to ammonia or ammonium ions, can be reused by plants or volatilized (released into atmosphere)

A

ammonification

88
Q

specialized bacteria (anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia back into nitrites and nitrates, and then into nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide gas

A

dentrification

89
Q

local; released from rocks forms through process of chemical weathering - released in form if phosphate which is soluble and can be absorbed from the soil by plants

A

phosphorus cycle

90
Q

any factor that controls a population’s growth

A

limiting factor

91
Q

happening in part of the terrestrial biosphere

A

terrestrial cycle

92
Q

a body of water receives excess nutrients; causes an overgrowth of algae and depletes the water of oxygen

A

eutrophication

93
Q

most in rocks and salts or buries deep in the ocean in oceanic sediments, can also be found in atmosphere; volcanic eruptions, certain bacterial functions, decomposition in estuaries, and the decay of once-living organisms

A

sulfur cycle

94
Q

organisms that can produce their own organic compounds from inorganic chemicals

A

autotrophs

95
Q

obtain food energy by consuming other organisms or products created by other organisms

A

heterotrophs

96
Q

organisms that are capable of converting radiant energy, or chemical energy, into carbohydrates

A

producers

97
Q

without oxygen

A

anaerobic

98
Q

makes food from inorganic chemicals in anaerobic environments through chemosynthesis

A

chemotrophs

99
Q

the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem (measured in kilocalories per square meter per year)

A

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

100
Q

amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis - amount of energy plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction; the rate at which producers are converting solar energy to chemical energy

A

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

101
Q

organisms that must obtain food energy from secondary sources

A

consumers

102
Q

herbivores; only consumes producers

A

primary consumers

103
Q

organism that consumes a primary consumer

A

secondary consumers

104
Q

organism that consumes a secondary consumer

A

tertiary consumers

105
Q

organisms that derive energy from consuming no living organic matter such as dead animals or fallen leaves

A

detritivores

106
Q

organisms that consumes dead plant and animal material

A

decomposers

107
Q

decomposers that use enzymes to break down dead organisms and absorb nutrients

A

saprotrophs

108
Q

each feeding level

A

trophic level

109
Q

usually represented as a series of steps, producer bottom and tertiary top

A

food chains

110
Q

only 10% of energy from each previous trophic level is transferred to the present level

A

10% Rule

111
Q

the amount of energy available at each trophic level organized from greatest to least

A

energy pyramid

112
Q

represents feeding relationships in ecosystems more realistically

A

food web

113
Q

the number and variety of organisms found within a specifies geographic region, or ecosystem

A

biodiversity

114
Q

the number of different species found in an ecosystem

A

species richness

115
Q

the degree to which living organisms are capable of tolerating changes in their environment

A

Law of Tolerance

116
Q

living organisms will continue to live, consuming available materials until supply of these materials is exhausted

A

Law of the Minimum

117
Q

a field that studies species richness and diversification in isolated communities

A

theory of island biogeography

118
Q

benefits that humans receive from the ecosystems in nature when they function properly

A

ecosystem services

119
Q

providing humans with water, food, medicinal resources, raw materials, energy, and ornaments

A

provisioning services

120
Q

waste decomposition and detoxification, purification of water and air, pest and disease control and regulation of prey populations through predation, and carbon sequestration

A

regulating services

121
Q

use of nature for science and education, therapeutic and recreational uses, and spiritual and cultural uses

A

cultural services

122
Q

primary production, nutrient recycling, soil formation, and pollination

A

supporting services

123
Q

species whose very presence co tributes to an ecosystem’s diversity and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other life forms

A

keystone species

124
Q

species that are used as a standard to evaluate the health of an ecosystem

A

indicator species

125
Q

those that originate and live or occur naturally in an area or environment

A

indigenous species

126
Q

introduced species; non-native

A

invasive species

127
Q
A

ecological succession

128
Q
A

primary succession

129
Q
A

secondary succession

130
Q
A

pioneer species

131
Q
A

climax community

132
Q
A

habitat fragmentation

133
Q
A

edge effect

AP Environmental Science (1 decks)

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